Is the world really ending on December 21?

by Padma Edirisinghe

The female Pharoahs who lorded it over the banks of the Blue Nile evidently had their wardrobes prepared for the last journey by their maids. In this age of “maid shortage” we are forced to pack our bags ourselves for the same journey. But do not exert yourself, for the weird event prophesied by the Mayans will not take place this month, according to Dr. Mirando Obeysekera, a researcher of the Matale valley circumscribed by lofty hills of historical vintage.

Dabbling in the mystic arts yet using rationalistic criteria too he has come to the above conclusion. The Buddha never foretold such an abrupt end, nor did the other three religious leaders, ie Jesus Christ, Maha Veera of Hinduism nor the Great prophet of Islam, he asserts.

To those unacquainted with the famous Maya and Inca empires they are two of the most civilised empires that later succumbed to Western boots or small pox brought by them. Today sporting a hotch potch of indigenous and Euro culture they correspond to the states of Gautemala, Honduras, El Salvador and part of Mexico. How did this Mayan prophesy gain such popularity, I ask. Before going on let me give some facts on the Mayan calendar itself that stops on December 21 making it the Doomsday and ending with the famous myth. The calendar consists of a system of three interlaced calendars that give even the time of the End 11.11 UTC (21.12.2012)”.

Calendar

The Calendar had been evolved in pre-Columbia, meso America, to put it more eloquently in the jungles of Mexico and Gautemala around 2600 BC indicating the 365 days a year syndrome initially. Alas! Centuries later Western boots were to trample them and finally kill them with the importation of small pox leaving a few to voyage to the present century.

Obeysekera, however, disappoints me by entwining his prophesy with Ravana who seems to obsess him. Not that I have anything against this pioneer of aviation who preceded the Wright brothers of the US but this is the first time I hear about king Ravana's connection with the Mayans. But my ignorance does not liquidate fact to fiction.

Leaving aside Ravana let us talk briefly of the Mayan myth that is keeping many a folk on suspense these days. Deadly suspense, shall we say? Some modern Mayans describe the myth as some sort of doomsday nonsense coined to retrogade the Mayans who evolved a magnificent culture similar to the Egyptians running parallel to them too to a primitive tribe. Yet the myth itself has gained much popularity even going on the internet as “The Grand Cycle of Evolution that will culminate with winter solstice. Date December 21,2012”.

According to Obeysekera's deduction or phantasy the Mayans and the Incas were so watchful of the mighty king Ravana that they even watched his sleep movements. What will happen in December 2012 is that he gone to eternal rest would awaken from a semi-conscious state and shift his position from left to right, that would unleash an avalanche of calamities for humans. Tsunamis would play murderous havoc, giant mountains would crumble, oceans would surge “beyond borders” and thunder and lightening exterminating human lives would be common occurrences. So, though the end of the world will not be orchestrated this month we will be drawing near it. And he says, it is no strange phenomenon. It is the common end of all planets. So, he turns rationalistic. Then is Ravana a sort of allegorical figure, I ask.

Not exactly, he answers. Ravana is entwined with the beginning and end of the world. He sleeps on till the time comes. If a mere shifting of positions can herald a chain of sinister calamities imagine what would happen when he finally wakes up. That would signal the end of the world. According to Ravana Katha, as the end approaches these trends will surface in Sri Lanka.

* Buddhism gaining ground
* Conversion of stone chips into lustrous gems
* Discovery of gold dust mines in Agarapatana and discovery of artefacts connected to Ravana age from Giruwapattuwa, Bentara Valallawita and Laggala.

Though this tireless researcher is obviously obsessed with king Ravana and accords him an out-sized place in the evolution and end of the world we have to be thankful to him for his attempt to allay the popular fear that the world will end this month. For he says that he himself is on the brink of death due to sickness.

He acclaims that he is responsible for 57 research texts winning many an award for these including a presidential award. We wish that he would shift away from the brink and indulge more in his academic and literary work. He is after all only 73 years! The breezes wafting from the hills of Matale that ensconce his research centre would no doubt rejuvenate him and lure him for more work that some would label as fanciful conjectures.